This invention relates to a cutting method and cutting device for separating conveyed band shaped food dough into multiple strips in the conveyance direction.
As means for separating a block of food dough, such as mixed and kneaded bread dough, into a specified amount (for example 40 g) of food dough pieces, there is a device that forms continuous band shaped food dough from a block of food dough, and divides that food dough into rectangular pieces, for example as the food dough is conveyed by a conveying device.
For example, the bread dough divider that is disclosed in Japanese patent application H4-66044 comprises: a belt conveyor that conveys the block of bread dough, an expansion roller that expands that block of bread dough to a near uniform thickness, a plurality of straight cutting rotary cutters that cut the expanded bread dough along the conveyance direction and divides the bread dough into multiple bread dough strips, and a cross cutting rotary cutter that cuts the divided bread dough strips in the width direction (horizontal direction that is orthogonal to the conveyance direction) and divides the bread dough strips into rectangular shaped bread dough pieces. By using this kind of food dough divider, identical rectangular shaped food dough pieces are formed from band shaped food dough.
However, when dividing band shaped food dough whose width varies in the conveyance direction into multiple food dough strips, the width on both sides of a food dough strip is not fixed, or in other words, strip shaped food dough having a varying width is obtained. Therefore, there is a problem in that productivity drops when it is necessary to discard the strip shaped food dough on both sides as unnecessary dough, and quality of the produced food dough becomes unstable and decreases when the strip shaped food dough on both sides is combined and remixed with the raw material.
The inventors have proposed a food dough formation system that is capable of obtaining pieces of a set weight of food dough from band shaped food dough (for example, refer to Japanese patent application 2001-95468). This food dough formation system comprises: a conveyor that conveys band shaped food dough that is formed to a nearly uniform thickness; an alignment device that aligns the conveyed position of the food dough; a separation and expansion device that comprises a cutter as a cutting member that divides the food dough into multiple food dough strips and a branched conveyor that divides and conveys the food dough strips; a weighing conveyor that weighs the amount of divided food dough that is conveyed; and a cutting device that cuts the divided food dough that is conveyed into rectangular pieces of food dough. When using this kind of food dough formation system, pieces of identical weights of food dough are formed from band shaped food dough. Also, the pieces of food dough can go through a secondary formation by manual formation or by a follow-up molder or rounding device.
However, when the width of the food dough constantly varies in the conveyance direction, or when the characteristics of the dough, such as the thickness or density, is not uniform in part of the dough, or particularly in the section on both sides, problems may occur in that when the food dough formation system divides the food dough into two strips of food dough whose width is constantly changing, large differences in the weight of the food dough that is conveyed per unit time occur, and when cutting each strip of food dough into pieces having a specified weight, extreme differences may occur in the number of cuts for each strip per unit time (for example, 1 minute), and the pieces of food dough become backed up (over supplied) in the secondary formation, or are not supplied.
Also, in the food dough formation system described above, when cutting the food dough that has been divided into two strips into pieces of food dough, the shape of the food dough pieces is formed into a horizontal rectangular shape (strips) as the weight of the dough decreases, and is not a suitable shape for secondary formation. In this case, by dividing the band shaped food dough into three or more strips of bread dough, and then cutting the strips of bread dough across the width direction to form food dough pieces, it is possible to obtain square food dough pieces, for example, that are suitable for secondary formation.
However, in the food dough formation system described above, when the width dimension of the food dough constantly varies in the conveyance direction, or when the characteristics of the dough, such as the thickness or density, is partially not uniform, particularly in the sections on both sides, then when dividing the band shaped food dough with an evenly spaced cutter in the conveyance direction into three or more strips of food dough, the width dimension of the strips of food dough on both sides varies. Therefore, a large difference occurs in the weight conveyed per unit time between the center food dough strip and the food dough strips on both sides, or between the food dough strips on both sides, and when cutting each of the food dough strips into food dough pieces having a specified weight, extreme differences occur in the number of cuts per unit time for each food dough strip, so during secondary formation, a problem may occur in that the food dough strips will become backed up (over supplied), or will not be supplied.